“Calvin Harding. He’s coming, and I don’t have a crush on him anymore.”
“Gotcha. But he still likes you?”
“Something like that,” she muttered, moving closer to her brother. “He’s just got back to town.”
“Maggie, I’ve been trying to locate you, but no one knew where you had gone.” Calvin was slick, dressed like a politician, and spoke the same. He was handsome with his dark blond hair and green eyes, but not for her. She’d realized that first day she saw him again in Phil’s, after her initial excitement over seeing an old friend had worn off, she was well and truly over her crush.
“Hi, Calvin. This is my brother Nash.”
The men shook hands, and Calvin only winced slightly as Nash squeezed his.
“I don’t think we knew each other during school?”
“I didn’t go to the same schools as my sister.” Nash’s tone was warm enough to freeze a lake.
“I wondered if you’d have dinner with me, Maggie?”
“Where are we going?”
“We?” Calvin shot Nash a surprised look. “I invited Maggie.”
“Sorry. We don’t let her go out with strange men. If you don’t want my company too, then call at my parents’ house, we’ll see if we like you, then let you know if you can take her out.” Nash didn’t even crack a smile. His eyes locked on Calvin’s.
“You’re not serious? Maggie is old enough to make that decision for herself, surely?” Calvin’s face was now flushed with color.
“This is not a big city, Melvin. We have rules. This is a hard and fast one.”
“Calvin.”
Maggie counted the buttons on Calvin’s coat to stop herself laughing.
“So if you can’t follow these few simple family rules, then I’m sorry, but we’ll have to say no to a date. Nice meeting you, Gavin.”
“Calvin!”
Nash placed a hand against her spine and pushed.
“You’re good,” she whispered when they’d moved a few feet. “Scarily so.”
“You just remember that and we’ll rub along fine.”
“Ha ha.”
“Now, baby sister, your park ranger is across the street in that crowd, standing with his friends. Being a tall, strapping, and virile man, I can see over the heads of the shorter, less consequential ones. He’s not seen you yet, but my guess is that’s about to change. You need to see him sometime, so doing that with your big bad brother at your side could be a good ice breaker.”
“You’re a pussy cat,” Maggie said, searching the crowd for a glimpse of Fin.
As if on command, it parted, and there he was talking to Bailey and Joe. He had his hands jammed in the pockets of his thick jacket. No hat, hair ruffled. Her heart lurched. She’d missed him, Maggie realized. Missed his hands on her, and missed his smile. Missed the way he talked, the way he walked. Her heart sighed.
She was in so much trouble.
“That’s pathetic. Get a grip, or he’ll take one look at that dopey expression and know you’ve forgiven him.”
“What?” Maggs dragged her eyes away.
“You’ve gone all gooey in the eyes.”
“How do you know he’s in the wrong?”
